Donating breast milk - anyone done it?

[Fennel]

I'm sure some mumsnetters have done this, I get the impression from occasional posts that it's really easy and if you have a few spare bags in your freezer someone will just turn up to collect it? is that so?

If anyone has done it, can you answer me a few questions? dd3 is 5 months old, exclusively bf and my supply appears to be ample so that I have extra milk, and plenty in the freezer.

1. how little can you donate to make it worthwhile them collecting it?

2. important question here, do you have to not drink alcohol or eat certain foods to donate breastmilk? I eat and drink anything while feeding my own children but would a milk bank have certain standards?

As a previous reluctant ranter about bf I never thought I would ever have excess milk!

Fennel - I donated breastmilk to the Queen Mother's Hospital in Glasgow. My own local unit did not collect it. A midwifery sister from the QMH gave me sterilised bottles and arranged to collect the milk. There was no specific amount required - they were very grateful to get anything. I think the milk banks like to do HIV testing now (I didn't get tested but that was 10 years ago). There were restrictions on what I ate or drank.
Call the hospital nearest to you with a special care baby unit and ask if the are interested. I might be able to find some other info for you. Will have a search.

Hi Fennel - I did it when DS2 was tiny. Answer to your questions:

1. doesn't matter - some tiny babies only need an ounce or so
2. didn't matter to me but the milk bank coordinator can explain all these things. I was on some medication which I was told was OK for my baby but not anyone else's so I didn't donate for a bit while I was on it. Do it - it's a fantastic feeling and just imagine how grateful you would be in your baby needed it

Here you are

milkbanks

Fennel, I don't know about your area, but round here they only accept it until your baby is 4 months old. Your own maternity unit/ward/hospital will tell you how to contact your nearest milk bank and how to arrange collection.

The Queen Mother's took it till one year.

I'd have loved to have donated for that long, I had masses and masses of the stuff (chucked out 80 bags full once that had been in the freezer too long).

Thanks for the info. that site says you have to start before the baby is 6 months which would be ok if I got going now. But there's no milk bank anywhere near me (Manchester) so I can't really do it.